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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23726452">Agreement of Silence</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowRen/pseuds/ShadowRen'>ShadowRen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Enemies to Lovers (one ship), F/M, HEA, Mediators to Lovers (the other ship), Modern AU, Warning: Anti-Reylo behaviour (one character)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:02:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,933</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23726452</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowRen/pseuds/ShadowRen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey Kenobi and Rose Tico are avid fans of the Galactic Conflict movie franchise, and active Kiralo shippers. However, when tensions arise between Rose and new roommate Armitage Hux over the Kiralo ship, Rey and the other new roommate, Ben Solo, step in with an agreement of silence about Galactic Conflict until they can all get along better.</p><p>However, as is the norm for agreements of silence, it’s not long before the silence is broken.</p><p>Warning: One of the characters displays aggressive anti-Reylo behaviour. If that upsets you badly, please skip this fic.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Anniversary Fic Exchange 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellestar/gifts">bellestar</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Content Warning: Aggressive anti-Reylo behaviour from one of the characters. Last chance to turn away if that upsets you, but I promise, there will be a happy ending for all involved.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Despite all his years studying both the Light and the Dark, Kylo knew not where he was.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There was only darkness, the only lighting in the space around him emitted from thin white lines in shapes and patterns he could not recognise. Two lines marked out a road for him which he followed, unsure and uncaring of where it might take him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He felt no pain. He remembered the agony he fought, dragging his broken leg to the place where Kira’s lifeless body lay. He remembered the Force flowing through him like a gentle river, as he gave Kira the last of his life.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Perhaps that was why he was here. He was dead, and this was the afterlife. Darkness lined with thin slivers of light — a perfect representation of his troubled life. At the very least, he thought, he did something good in the end. Never enough to atone for what he had done, but he did something.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He looked up from the path, and to his surprise, a large circle, filled with bright, white light, stood at its end. He approached it, reaching out to touch its blinding rays.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He felt something grasp his outstretched hand, and he cried out as it pulled him into the light. His voice, echoed in the emptiness of that realm, suddenly gained volume as he landed in someone’s arms. He reopened his eyes slowly, and the first thing his mind registered was the hazel shade of his saviour’s eyes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kira.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>———————————————————————————————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey leaned back in her chair, letting out a breath she didn’t even know she’d started holding. She closed her eyes, reimagining the dark realm that Kylo had been trapped in, with its white lines. She recognised its description immediately; the Vergence Scatter had been introduced in an episode of Rebels, one of Galactic Conflict’s animated series. She reopened her eyes to read the end note of the chapter, where there was a list of terms, the words underlined to indicate website links. Sure enough, the Vergence Scatter was among the list of terms, and Rey pressed the link, which brought her to the Galactic Conflict wiki’s page on the Vergence Scatter. She appreciated it greatly when fic authors took the time to provide clarification of potentially unfamiliar concepts to readers who may have only watched the movies.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Using the Vergence Scatter to bring Kylo back to life was an interesting concept that Rey had not yet encountered in other fics she had read, and she enjoyed its imagery, the dark realm viewed through Kylo’s mind and eyes and making her feel as if she was Kylo himself, content to die knowing he had saved his other half in the Force, only to be surprised at his rescue by Rey.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reading the thousands of Kiralo fanfictions that had emerged after the greatly disappointing </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Rise of Starstrider</span>
  </em>
  <span> movie gave Rey hope for the positivity and creativity of society, this beautiful piece even more so. While many Kiralo writers since </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Rise of Starstrider</span>
  </em>
  <span> had chosen to ignore the movie’s ending after Kylo’s death from reviving Kira, this author decided instead to adhere to the present canon while still finding a way to rescue Kylo and reunite him with Kira.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leaving the wiki page to return to the chapter, Rey left kudos on the fic, then scrolled up to check the name and author of the fic again: Found Family, by KnightofRen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey furrowed her brow — she did not recognise this fic author from the Kiralo writing group. One look at the author’s profile told her why; Found Family was KnightofRen’s second fic, the first being a short drabble for a different fandom. Once again, Rey pressed the back button to return to the fic, determined to give KnightofRen a glowing review in her comment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just as she pressed the button to send the comment, the shrill ring of the doorbell resonated through her apartment, and Rey rose to get to the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her roommate, Rose, was already at the door, having come from the kitchen further up front. The petite Asian woman deftly fished out the door key from its pocket by the main door and opened the door to reveal two very tall men; the shorter of the two was already a full head taller than Rose. He had short, ginger hair slicked back with what seemed to be a small container’s worth of hair gel, and had a slight build concealed behind a large black greatcoat. Yet it was the taller of the two who stole Rey’s attention, his wide, muscular frame dressed in the same black tones as the wavy shoulder-length hair he sported.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You must be Rose Tico,” he said. “I’m Ben Solo; I called about the room two days ago.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was the new roommate Rose was talking about? Rey knew that they needed new roommates after Finn and Poe left to get their own house (Frankly, Rey was tired of watching them make out on every surface of their shared apartment), but she had left the business side of things to Rose. Rey had a tendency to land her foot in her mouth during any sort of verbal communication.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rose had a good sense of judgement, if she managed to get someone so polite. Ben’s soft tone put Rey at ease; perhaps having to get new roommates may not be so bad after all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am,” Rose answered, then gestured to Rey. “This is my roommate, Rey Kenobi. And you are…?” Rose trailed off, looking at Ben’s companion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, he’s the second person I mentioned over the calls, my colleague—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben was interrupted by the ginger-haired man striding past him to take Rose’s hand and place a gentle kiss on the knuckles. “Armitage Hux,” he introduced himself in the poshest British accent Rey had ever heard in her life. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Tico, Miss Kenobi.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey immediately bit her lower lip to stop herself from laughing. Rose was not quick enough to do the same, giggling aloud for a split second before she slapped her free hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry,” she said, composing herself and looking at Armitage with an expression of mirth. “It’s just that I’ve never had anyone treat me so formally before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah.” Armitage gently lowered and let go of Rose’s hand. “I suppose it is a little unusual in a casual setting.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Behind him, Ben mouthed to Rey with the slightest hint of a grin, ‘Don’t mind him, he’s a little awkward.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey coughed to mask the snort that left her throat at that line. Oh, she would definitely get along with this giant, soft fridge of a man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few minutes later, the two men’s luggage had been brought into the sparsely furnished room that Finn and Poe had left behind, and Armitage began fussing over a few minor details of the room while Rose went to the storeroom to get cleaning supplies.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben and Rey settled in the living room instead, watching Armitage pull out and iron the bedsheets and curtains.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s very…” Rey racked her brains for the word, “…particular.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hux is very detail-oriented,” Ben offered by way of explanation. “It helps when he’s doing accounting work, but I can see it being a bit of a problem living with him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re the one living in the same room as him, Ben.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Trust me, if his behaviour in the office carries over to his house life, he’ll be colour-coding the spices in the kitchen by this time tomorrow morning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey turned her gaze from Armitage to Ben. “You’re kidding.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not. He arranges his pens by how much of the ink he’s used every time he opens his stationery case.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She blinked rapidly at Ben’s description. “You said he was your colleague, so are you both accountants? Please tell me you’re not both accountants.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben chuckled at her fast-paced sentences. “No, I’m not. We work at a publishing firm — First Order Publishings, you might have heard about it. I’m an editor there, and Hux manages the business side of things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben tilted his head up, and Rey turned around to follow his line of sight to a poster of Galactic Conflict pasted on the wall. It was a movie poster from </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Last Jedi</span>
  </em>
  <span>, a white background with Kira and Kylo separated by a red streak down the middle of the poster. “You watch Galactic Conflict?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do,” Rey answered. “I’ve been watching it with my grandfather since I was born, or so he tells me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So it’s a family enjoyment,” he noted. “My family used to do the same thing. We’d run a marathon every year.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey could not help but notice the change in tense. “Did something happen for it to stop?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben’s expression grew solemn. “My parents and I had a bit of a disagreement. I don’t like to elaborate much on it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey nodded and let the matter lie, changing the topic instead. “Have you seen the sequels, then? What do you think of </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Rise of Starstrider</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think that title is a misnomer, given that the only Starstrider left at the end is Kira, who just took the name in the last minute of the entire trilogy. I’m also not fond of how they brought back the Emperor with little to no explanation, or how convoluted the plot was.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I still can’t remember if the Pasaana or Kijimi arc came first,” Rey admitted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pasaana first,” Ben clarified, “but I see where the confusion can occur.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey took a deep breath. “What do you think of the Kiralo scene?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben paused to consider his answer, but it was Armitage who answered first, the ginger-haired man’s voice taking on a disdainful tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it was completely unnecessary,” he said. “Kylo was a clear-cut villain who willingly joined the dark side as an adult for nothing more than an obsession towards ‘finishing’ what his grandfather started, and murdered his own father in cold blood. I say that those Kiralos who think that Kylo could ever have any semblance of a relationship are delusional. Have you not seen them? Attacking brilliant actors and forcing them off social media in ‘support’ of a clearly abusive relationship, indeed. I’m not surprised that they are as abusive as the man they adore simply because he is portrayed by a handsome actor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey grimaced at Armitage’s rant, and fully winced when she heard the inevitable cry of fury from behind the ginger-haired man. “Kiralos, abusive?!” cried Rose, stomping up to lock Armitage in a glaring match. “I think the abusive ones in this fandom are antis like you! And let me enlighten you, mister, because those people who started the attack on Finnian’s actor were never Kiralos — they were sock puppets of the anti community pretending to be Kiralos in order to frame us the way they frame us for every bad thing in fandom—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey tuned out the rest of Rose’s reply and Armitage’s heated counter, getting to her feet and making her escape to the kitchen. Their raised voices in the lounge were still audible, but at least their specific words were mumbled. Rey opened the top cupboard to get a mug, intent on making some coffee to distract herself from whatever voices still remained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben entered the kitchen moments later as Rey added milk and sugar into her coffee, a few seconds after the voices quietened down. “I’m sorry about Hux,” he said, taking a mug for himself from the cupboard. “He gets aggressive when Kiralo gets mentioned. A lot of my colleagues do. I didn’t know you were both Kiralos.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry about Rose, too,” Rey offered on her friend’s behalf. “I promise, she’s usually a very bright, cheery person, but if cyber-bullying comes up as a topic she gets very heated about it. She owns an NGO supporting cyber-bullying victims, and it’s been getting worse with the antis and the framing of the Kiralo community.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never really looked into that phenomenon much, but I understand where the hostility might be coming from. Two large factions of fans pitted against each other rarely goes along well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben poured the hot coffee into his mug, foregoing both milk and sugar, and sat down opposite Rey. “I’m not Hux, but I’m not a Kiralo, either. Kira and Kylo are a good fighting pair, and I can see the synergy between them. It’s just that I don’t see them in a romantic light.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Rey mumbled. She was glad that Ben was not as aggressive as his friend, yet at the same time slightly disappointed that he did not share her view anyway. On the bright side, her mind offered, Ben was civil about it, and she was content with that at least.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben finished his coffee first, taking the empty mug to the sink. “I’ll go have a word with Hux, and you should probably check on Rose. I think we should have a restriction on mentioning Galactic Conflict for a while, at least until we’ve settled in properly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think that’s a good idea,” Rey agreed, absentmindedly stirring her still full mug of coffee. “An agreement of silence.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben nodded, and Rey watched his broad back as he left the kitchen for his and Armitage’s shared room.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Content Warning: Discussion of anti-Reylo behaviour and cyber-bullying. This is a constant warning throughout this fic, you have been warned.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>The red lightsaber hummed over Kira’s head as she ducked under it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kylo’s weapon crackled much less now. Kira would have been much more surprised if it didn’t, with all the work they had put into healing the kyber crystal nestled within. They would be able to heal it completely someday, but the journey was long and arduous — and they had some healing of their own to do.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She was familiar with the long arcs of Kylo’s heavy-handed blows, the rage and screams that accompanied them still fresh in her mind from the past year of fighting between them. His blows were still greatly telegraphed, and accented with brute force, but he no longer screamed or shouted. He was like his weapon: calmer. Healing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kira refocused herself on their duel, swiping his heavy swings aside and focusing her own down his vulnerable centre. Kylo attempted a few more swings, then jumped back twice, realising the futility of his efforts.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Suddenly, he used the Force to lunge at her, forcing Kira to draw up a hasty block to absorb his momentum. Instead of striking her head-on, however, Kylo struck the blue lightsaber at an angle. The blades repelled, causing him to rebound half a step — then all at once he was somersaulting over Kira’s head, having launched himself up just as his foot touched the ground. The unexpected flight forced Kira to spin around to block his mid-air strike.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was as if Kylo had become a completely different person. Hulking, heavy blows had been exchanged for light jabs and strikes from unexpected angles. His feet almost never touched the ground, his body soaring to meet every counter she attempted. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He laughed as he flew, she noticed. Not a villain’s evil cackle, or the humourless grunt of a cold-blooded killer, but a light, airy tune, like a bird released from its cage. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kira reached into the Force, probing the energy surrounding her former adversary, and found instead of wild, piercing lightning a light breeze that carried him into the air.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This was what he could have been, she realised. This was what he could become now.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>———————————————————————————————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rey, are you done with that? I can wash the dishes if you like.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey jolted from her reading of Found Family on her phone, glanced at her half-finished bowl of cereal, and then at Ben’s outstretched hand. He held his empty mug in his other hand, the distinct aroma of the coffee that was in it still wafting around the kitchen and dining table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey blinked once, put down her phone, then snatched up her spoon to start shovelling Cheerios into her mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben’s eyes widened, and he hurriedly replaced his mug on the table. “Slow down, Rey! I didn’t mean to rush you. I just thought you might not be hungry anymore, is all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey froze with her spoon in her mouth, then slowly regained motion as she chewed twice and swallowed. “Sorry,” she mumbled once she had recovered, starting to eat at a more normal pace. “I space out a lot when I’m eating.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben raised an eyebrow, then shifted his gaze to the now forgotten phone on the table. “Maybe you wouldn’t space out so much if you’re more focused on your food. Pause with the devices for a bit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no, it’s fine,” Rey waved him off between mouthfuls of milk and cereal. “I usually do a lot of work in between meals and showers so it’s sort of like my special space out time before I go back into focus mode.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To Rey’s surprise, Ben stayed with her as she finished her cereal, but not once did he pull out anything to pass the time. Instead, he simply closed his eyes and let his arms rest on the table. She would have thought he had fallen asleep, if not for the deep, measured breaths he was taking. She watched him with curiosity as he inhaled, held his breath, then exhaled slowly. The calming pattern mesmerised her, more refreshing and alluring than any funny video she had ever watched during her meals.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the clinking of the metal spoon against the inner surface of the cereal that brought her companion back to the present. Ben simply smiled, then took both the bowl and the cup to the sink.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why do you do that?” Rey asked, raising her voice slightly over the rush of tap water. “The breathing thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben added some detergent to his sponge, turning off the tap to conserve water. “It helps me rest and control my breathing,” he answered, scrubbing the coffee residue from his mug. “I work on screens quite often, but I need to rest my eyes a lot, so I do that for about a minute.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey nodded, then glanced at the clock as Ben finished scrubbing and reopened the tap to start rinsing the cup and bowl. “It’s already ten o’ clock on a Monday; don’t you need to be at work?” Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen Armitage around the apartment since she woke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I only have some emails to send and a script or two to read through; I can do them from home on my laptop. Hux has to go to the office because he has to access the physical ledgers.” Ben punctuated the sentence with a chuckle, seemingly recalling an inside joke. “He hates that I get to work from home, and he doesn’t. Something about ‘insufferable traffic congestion’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey suppressed a giggle at Ben’s air quotes gesture and impression attempt of Armitage’s British accent. Ben’s deep baritone was hilarious when combined with Armitage’s pompous tone, adding a drawl to it that sounded like he was bored with the whole affair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben smiled at her reaction, and put away the dishes, returning to the dining table to sit opposite Rey again. “What about Rose? I haven’t seen her around today, either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s gone to Otomok’s headquarters for the day, spreading her sunshine personality around.” At Ben’s confused squint, Rey hurried to elaborate. “Otomok is the NGO I was talking about yesterday,” she clarified. “It’s not a therapist centre or anything, but it’s a sort of support session where those who get cyber-bullied can have sessions together or just call up to have a talk. Making sure they know they’re not alone and that it’s alright to talk about it there, at least.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben nodded, then got up from his chair. “I should probably get started on my work, then. Are you doing anything in particular? I actually thought you might be working as well, but you’re still here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey shook her head, brushing her loose hair back with one hand. “I’m still studying — I’ll be a second-year in the Creative Writing course after the break.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you want to do with that degree?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was actually thinking about becoming an editor.” Where had that line come from? Rey knew that she wasn’t sure what she had wanted to do with her degree until that very second. Now her big mouth decided that it would like to show off and go into the same field as Ben. Ben, whom she has met for all of one day!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey bit her lower lip, keeping her internal panic as it was — internal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben did not seem to notice, simply offering his soft yet alluring smile in return. “Would you like to see one at work, then?” he offered. “Since you’ve got nothing else to do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey wanted to do just about anything else to avoid having Ben see the blush creeping up her face. She could claim that she needed to study to catch up on things before the break’s end, then retreat into her room. Maybe she would reread her textbooks, or continue reading Found Family, or… “If that’s okay with you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Stupid mouth getting ahead of her brain!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s no problem for me, but I don’t think I’ll be able to answer a lot of questions while I work. My coworkers tell me I tend to get very absorbed into things when I’m editing.” Ben strode to the hallway joining the kitchen and lounge to the smaller rooms, his long legs covering the distance from table to room door in a mere ten steps. “Let me just get my laptop, and we can set up in the lounge.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Five minutes later, both Ben and Rey gathered at the coffee table in the lounge. They attempted to work from the couch with the laptop on the table at first, but then switched to cushions on the floor when they realised that Ben had to hunch rather uncomfortably to type on the laptop’s keyboard. Before long, Ben pulled up his script, and set to work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey watched in silence, Ben’s typing on the keyboard and his occasional clicking of the touchpad the only audible sounds in the room. Ben worked quickly and with what seemed to be a set pattern, checking the manuscript once all the way through, then scrolling back and moving more slowly to highlight long passages that seemed out of tone or unnecessary, then once more to highlight smaller sections and individual words. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The manuscript seemed to be a non-fiction piece, dealing with the issue of cyber-bullying. Rey started paying closer attention, trying to keep up with Ben’s meticulous yet quick pace. It wasn’t long before she recognised one of the paragraphs, as Ben highlighted a phrase about the Kiralo ship conflict.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where did you get this manuscript?” she asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben started slightly, and frowned as he moved to correct a few mistyped letters from the sudden movement. “I’m not supposed to tell you,” he muttered, scrolling on to the next paragraph. “Technically, I shouldn’t even be showing you this in the first place. Issues with creative work and all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s just that I recognise that paragraph.” Rey pointed out the highlighted paragraph about the Kiralo conflict. “Rose was writing a book recently — she had me read a bit of it while she was writing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben stopped typing to glance at Rey. “This is your roommate’s manuscript?” he asked, as if not believing what he had heard the first time. Rey nodded. “It’s well-written, but I don’t think it’s going to fit in as a First Order book. I don’t see it going very far.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only now did Rey fully register the name of Ben’s publishing firm — First Order Publishings was world-renowned for publishing many high quality, non-fiction works every year; many of their writers were often immediately brought to the spotlight. Rey had read a few of their works herself: biographies, historical accounts, and a few editorial collections on writing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben’s statement, however, took Rey by surprise. “Rose did a lot of research for this book,” she attempted in defence, remembering how Rose had books and printed articles scattered about their room and apartment for months. “Is it not coming out clearly enough, perhaps?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I can see she’s put a lot of work into it,” Ben corrected, highlighting yet another passage about the Kiralo conflict. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey noted how often Ben did that. “Why are you highlighting all the Kiralo passages? I don’t see anything wrong with them grammatically, or in the flow of the writing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s too many of them,” Ben answered, highlighting another phrase, before realising that the entire page was about the conflict, and bookmarked the page instead. “The other examples are well-known and have reputable documentation, but the Kiralo cases do not have much solid documentation — it is mostly on Twitter, after all, and many of the original posts are deleted and can’t be accessed. It’s also limited to a small group of aggressive people, and too subjective a matter. Most of it is just from different interpretations of a story, after all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Different interpretations do not give anyone excuses to belittle or label others negatively for it,” Rey asserted. “The Kiralo conflict is a prime example of dangerous cyber-bullying, precisely because of how easily the antis can gaslight an entire community of fans into believing that they are a danger to society. It isn’t your standard death threat or sexual harassment, but surely you agree that labelling Kiralos as supporters of fascism simply because they support the redemption of a character from a ‘fascist’ regime in a space opera, or supporters of abuse because of what Kylo has done to Kira in a war, is both hypocritical and downright dehumanising!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rey, calm down,” Ben insisted, fully abandoning his laptop to place a hand on Rey’s tensed shoulders. “I’m not saying that the conflict is something trivial to be passed over, but First Order has always published very objective and unbiased works. The Kiralo conflict is the exact opposite of both, on either side.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t mean you can just erase it!” Rey cried, pushing Ben’s hand away and standing up abruptly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben remained seated with a neutral expression on his face, which infuriated Rey even further. “I am not erasing it. I can see how bad things have been for you and Rose. But remember that people have been hurt by them, too. Imagine the discourse a book like this could bring up. If I don’t reject this script at this stage, Snoke will, and he would have much harsher words about it than me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By Snoke, you mean your boss at the First Order?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then screw him. We’ll get it published somewhere else.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey turned around and strode purposefully to her room, slamming the door behind her with a deafening bang.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Apologies for the delay in updates! Between life and general procrastination it was well over two months before I started writing again, followed by recent events which made me delay this chapter by another two weeks as I felt it might come off as insensitive given the theme of this series.</p><p>My plans for now are to work on each fic to completion, instead of parallel updates as I have done previously. Agreement of Silence will be completed first, followed by Gingers, Roses and Rabbits for the Gingerrose folks before I take down Journey of Redemption for a rewrite. Depending on my productivity there may be a few oneshots sprinkled in between, so keep an eye out!</p><p>As always, Agreement of Silence comes with a constant Content Warning of anti behaviour and discussion of anti behaviour by multiple characters throughout the fic. You have been forewarned.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Kira jolted awake to blood-curdling cries, lightsaber ready to be ignited before her eyes had even opened fully.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yet it was not an enemy she faced in the dark room of the inn, as her subconscious had feared, but a thrashing figure on the floor in the far corner. She decided to approach it carefully, as she had for the past few nights when Kylo found himself assaulted by his nightly terrors.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She had not even gotten fully off the bed when the thrashing stopped, Kylo’s figure still and near unnoticeable in the dim light of the crescent moon. His cries stopped, leaving silence in its wake.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Suddenly, even what little moonlight there was seemingly extinguished, devoured by darkness.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>For the first time since the battle on Exegol, Kira’s blood ran cold. Replacing the moonlight, piercing the darkness, was a pair of glowing, yellow eyes. It felt as if she had never left Exegol, trapped there to face the Emperor, to battle with him for all eternity without even Kylo by her side. Alone against an adversary who once required an entire galaxy to even temporarily extinguish him from memory.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No, her mind supplied as wild, crackling red joined the golden eyes, illuminating a vengeful face she once saw only on a snow-covered superweapon planet. Not just alone. Alone against two vicious adversaries. And one of them had now turned on her once again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>In a split second, the golden eyes, once close to the ground, flashed forward to tower over her. The red saber rose higher still, ready to take her head in one fell swoop.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kira forced her hand into position, edging her thumb into position over the activation trigger on the lightsaber, when all of a sudden both red and gold extinguished themselves, letting the moonlight breathe again as Kylo’s figure slumped into her arms.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What happened…?” Kylo’s weary sigh broke the freezing silence, dark eyes reflecting a sliver of light as they opened to look straight into Kira’s own. “Kira?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She did not answer him. The room might have returned to dimly lit monochrome, but the red and gold had already been burned into her memory, their afterimages colouring the scene before her. The moment where the man she had just begun to trust turned on her.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Not knowing what else to do, she released him, leaving him slumped on the ground as she fled, betrayed once again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Golden eyes haunted her more relentlessly than the moon, until she found herself deaf even to Kylo’s anguished cries for her.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>———————————————————————————————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey shuddered at the ending of the chapter, her quivering hand letting her phone drop onto the bed. What took over Kylo just then? A remnant of the Emperor? A remnant of himself, of his old past? Kylo had never developed the golden Sith eyes throughout all of Galactic Conflict canon, and seeing him succumbing to it here worried her. Just in case, she checked Found Family’s warning tags again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing about dark Kylo or Sith Kylo or anything of the sort.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re normally quite bubbly after a Found Family update, Rey,” Rose piped up from the other end of the room. “Did something happen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“KnightofRen made Kylo a Sith. Saber raised, golden eyes, everything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rose winced. “Let me guess, no Sith Kylo tags?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” Rey affirmed. She wouldn’t have given the fic a second glance if it had Sith Kylo. “But it was at the end of the chapter, and it was a split moment thing. He just woke up from a nightmare with it for a brief moment then came back, and Kira fled.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would have, too, if somebody just came up to me in the dark with glowing golden eyes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope they figure things out in the next chapter,” Rey wished as she put her phone away. “I don’t want to have invested all that time and hope into disaster again like what happened last year.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That movie has scarred us all,” Rose concurred, focusing her eyes on her laptop screen. “And it seems this guy doesn’t want to talk about it, either. Prick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey peered over her roommate’s shoulder. Displayed on the screen was Rose’s highlighted manuscript — the same edit as the one on Ben’s the day before. She bit her lip. Should she tell Rose? A part of her wanted to throw the jerkface of a fridge Ben under the bus for being so cold in dismissing Rose’s manuscript — a feeling supported by the increasing tension on Rose’s expression as she scrolled further down and saw the numerous blocks of Kiralo text in bright highlight with essentially the same comment on every single one in the editor’s icy cold tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s Ben,” she said, causing Rose to look up and break her furious staring match with the screen. “He was the editor working with the First Order. He showed me the script while he was editing it yesterday and I recognised it. Said if it wasn’t him who shot it down, his boss Snoke would it anyway.” Just recounting the event sucked the energy from Rey, and she sunk into her chair at the desk beside Rose’s. “’The First Order has always published very objective and unbiased works’, he said.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How is Kiralo—” Rose began, but stopped herself, resigning her fate with a sigh. “I guess it does come off as a very biased topic when it comes down to it. Honestly speaking there’s bad apples in both groups, but I do feel like we tend to get the brunt of it. But then again in the world of research, that’s not enough and—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you finish that sentence, Rose Tico,” Rey snapped, unsatisfied with her friend’s defeated attitude. “If we really want to argue about it, almost nothing can be objective. Snoke and the First Order are just too scared of losing their precious reputation to let you be heard.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rey, calm down just a sec,” Rose said, placing a gentle hand on Rey’s shoulder. Only then did Rey realise that her breaths had quickened to steaming heaves in her anger, and she closed her eyes, regulating her breathing. As she did so, she remembered the breathing technique Ben had showed her yesterday — before everything had shattered around them. They had gotten along so well, but in the end his job took priority. Obviously, keeping a job was important, but— </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey found herself unable to complete that sentence. Of course it would. They had only known each other for all of two days — three if she counted today. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let Ben be, Rey. I’ll be fine,” Rose reassured. “If not for him, I think I would have gotten an even harsher email from Snoke if the script actually got to him. Besides, they’re not the only publishing firm I sent the script to. I could get the deal from anyone else.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>———————————————————————————————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I trust that you’ve finished going through Thornflower’s work?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben fought the instinct to cower. Even after years in First Order Publishings, Ben found CEO Andrew Snoke no less intimidating than when they had first met, right as Ben had graduated. Now, alone with his mentor in the elder man’s dark office, Ben felt his throat constrict as if he was in Snoke’s chokehold. “I have. I feel that her work was not a good fit for First Order Publishings.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would not be surprised. I gave the script a once-over myself — hitchhiking on an Internet sensation with no solid proof may work for the masses, but I don’t think I need to remind you of who we cater to as a publishing firm.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben’s heart wanted to protest, but his mind kept his mouth shut the way he had trained himself to for the past five years. When Snoke starts to speak, any word from anyone in between would only jeopardise the mouth that dared to open. Only two phrases were safe. “No, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We cater to the elite. To the future leaders of the world. We do not cater to the base people who are so easily swayed by a rapidly changing and biased media, and I trust that my handpicked employees are not so foolish as to fall in line with them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was he? Ben’s mind flashed back to Rey; her expression of fury, the tears that threatened to fall. They had met for all of two days but he would gladly fall in line with her — even more so with the doubts he had been having in the past month. Perhaps it might be foolish to fall in line with the first pretty girl to cross his path, but was it foolish when it was with her?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Snoke straightened in his seat, his icy blue eyes piercing into Ben’s mind, and the younger man cursed himself. “I sense doubt from you, Ben Solo. I have trust that my employees, the young, blunt tools whom I have nurtured into the spears of conquerors, are not so foolish as to fall in line with the rust and dirt that make up the Earth. Am I wrong, boy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took everything in Ben to not grit his teeth. “No, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good.” Snoke leant back again, extending his hand to the door. “Continue with your work. Tell Hux that I want to see him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben pivoted on his feet, striding as calmly as he could to the door. Not once did he turn back to look at Snoke when dismissed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No one had ever done that and lived.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Solo, I need that record of expenditure from when you went to meet Pryde last Thursday.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben’s eyes dropped to the ground the moment he heard the door close behind him. His hands still felt numb. Surely it must be irrational to have a fear of one’s own boss and mentor? A person he owed his entire career to? Over a girl he barely knew?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do I always have to simplify everything for you — Solo, I need last Thursday’s restaurant bill from that meeting you had with Pryde.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No, he thought. He’d been having doubts weeks before he’d met Rey, but now after their meeting and confrontation he truly felt all those doubts freeze up, hide from Snoke behind the measly flesh wall that was his body. The more logical part of his mind was the only thing stopping him from just gathering what little he kept around his office and run for the hills. If not for Andrew Snoke, he would not be at a world-renowned publishing firm, editing some of the best literary works in recent history. He would be stuck with his parents, forever depending on them like he was a little boy all over again. A waste of his talents, Snoke would say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took him a few seconds — minutes? — to realise that he’d been frozen right in front of Snoke’s doors. Not for the first time that day, he berated himself mentally. As if he had never learned how sensitive Snoke was to even the slightest hint of doubt, and here he was spiralling not even a metre away from the thin barrier separating them. He would certainly pay for that mistake soon enough. No room for fear in the First Order, Snoke always said. Fear was solely for the masses who would undoubtedly fall under the sceptre of the elite informed by their works.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Heaving a deep breath, Ben hurried to step away from Snoke’s door—</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you even listening to me, Solo — agh!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>— only to collide right into Hux.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ginger-haired man staggered back from Ben’s massive weight barrelling into him, only just managing to snag a nearby corner of the wall on which to latch himself. Ben was not as lucky, nothing but air within his reach. Instead, Hux snatched at his wrist with his free hand, which gave Ben the split second he needed to steady his own feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Ben mumbled, tapping his foot a little to make sure he hadn’t sprained it. “The bill’s on my desk — I’ll go get it in a bit. Also, Snoke wants to see you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hux fixed him with a wary gaze. “I hope Kenobi isn’t giving you any doubts, Solo,” he warned in a low voice. “Remember what their kind did to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s different, Hux.” Ben immediately clapped his hand over his mouth. Idiot! Of all the people to say that to—</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hux sneered, and Ben knew he would be having one hell of a week very, very soon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>———————————————————————————————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kylo stopped for breath halfway along the forest trail, panting heavily as he leaned against a nearby tree. He extended his senses with the Force, searching for the blinding light of his other half.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He heaved a sigh of relief as he realised that he was finally drawing closer, Kira no longer running away from their place of shelter.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What was the sensation he had felt earlier? He woke up in Kira’s arms when he was sure he had purposefully taken the couch on the far corner of the room. He was in her arms, drained of energy, his saber falling from his hand to clatter on the ground — when had he gone to take it from Kira’s side?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And her eyes. The way she fled. They were the same as in the aftermath of the battle where he had killed the Emperor’s clone. The same eyes that rejected him, saw him as the danger he was; the Jedi killer. The wild dog that killed his father, brought down one master and killed another. The last and fallen Starstrider, harbinger of death.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Each title pierced through him painfully, the weight of his sins forcing him to his knees on the cold, wet ground. Perhaps it was good that she finally saw him for what he was. What part of him had ever deserved her forgiveness? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The sound of crunching leaves interrupted his darkening thoughts, and his gaze rose to meet Kira’s.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Before he could utter a sound, she had dropped to her knees and enveloped him in a tight embrace. Kylo grew tense, mouth opening to protest, to argue against her trust in him. Yet Kira hugged him even tighter, and he could hear, just under her breath, repeated apologies for leaving him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kylo was at war with himself. He thought of pushing her away, of running into the darkness and ending once and for all the reign of darkness in the Force. He could find where Kira had pulled him from the Vergence Scatter, remove himself from the world. Disappear.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Don’t you dare.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kylo opened his eyes as Kira jerked his shoulders back. Not for the first time, he felt everything quieten around him, until all that was left was them. The dyad in the Force.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you have, please leave a kudos and review - I would love to hear from you!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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